92 passengers dead after Russian plane plummets into Black Sea

Flowers lay in front of a photo of a well-known military choir lays flowers at the military choir's building in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016, after a plane carrying 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, crashed into the Black Sea minutes after taking off from the resort city of Sochi. The Russian plane was headed for an air base in Syria with 92 people aboard, Russia's Defense Ministry said. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

A Russian plane heading to an air base in Syria crashed into the Black Sea on Sunday, just minutes after taking off from Sochi, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. All 92 passengers are dead, Russian authorities said.

Russia’s transport minister said Sunday that investigators are looking into all possible reasons why the military plane crashed.

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Initially, a Russian official said they were not considering the cause to be a terror attack. Later in the day, however, minister Maxim Sokolov said an "entire spectrum" of possible reasons is being considered.

He added it's premature to speculate about the cause of Sunday's crash.

The aircraft passengers included members of a well-known military choir, reported the Associated Press.

A total of 84 passengers and eight crew members were on the aircraft that was taking the Alexandrov Ensemble to a New Year's concert at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria's coastal province of Latakia.

The list of passengers included 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble. According to the Associated Press, the group is the official choir of the Russian military and also includes a band and a dance company.

Also on board was a Russian doctor named Yelizaveta Glinka. She was known for her charity work that included missions to war zones in eastern Ukraine and Syria. Her reason for being on the plane, according to her foundation, was to accompany a shipment of medicines for a hospital in Syria. She recently had been given an award earlier in December.

"We never feel sure that we will come back alive," she said at the Kremlin award ceremony. "But we are sure that kindness, compassion and charity are stronger than any weapon."

Nine Russian journalists from three Russian television stations were also among those on board.

Only two minutes after taking off in decent weather conditions, reported AP, the plane was lost from the radar. Emergency crews found fragments less than a mile from shore, but the cause of the crash has yet to be determined.

Viktor Ozerov, head of the defense affairs committee at the upper house of Russian parliament, said the crash could have been caused by a technical malfunction or a crew error, but he believes it could not have been terrorism because the plane was operated by the military.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was personally coordinating the rescue efforts, and President Vladimir Putin has received official reports on the incident.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev described the crash as a "terrible tragedy."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a nationwide day of mourning for victims of the crash.

A condolence letter was sent to Putin from Syrian President Bashar Assad regarding the crash. Assad said he received news of the crash "with deep grief and sadness."